The Path To Sakura's Heart
by black-labrador
Summary: Can broken hearts be re-made? Sakura has been so lonely for so long, and now she is finally putting Syaoran behind her. But as soon as she gives up on her first and true love, he arrives in Tomoeda again. Can he win her back, or has he lost her for good?
1. Prologue

Hello! This is my first update in a while, and a new story to boot! I will update all of my other ones too, so don't worry about that, because I have stuff written! I just wasn't updating… Sorry… Well, I hope you enjoy it. 

Basically, Syaoran hasn't called or written for like 7/8 years, blah blah, it's the usual story about him not being in contact and she's not happy. But what will she do when he shows up, right after she gives him up!! Uh-oh…

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own CCS….. Dammit….

Prologue 

//….\\ Flashbacks

… Thought

"…" Speech

//"You'll come back, won't you Syaoran?" Sakura asked cutely, tears shining in her eyes.

"Yeah, maybe someday I will!" Answered Syaoran. Looking at the desk in front of him.

"I can't wait!" Sakura exclaimed happily causing Syaoran to blush madly \\

//"Syaoran! I've realised! You're my number one!" Sakura screamed as she let go of the bear into Syaoran's hands.

"Wait for me! I'll return!" He called back, as the bus picked up speed and Sakura couldn't keep up anymore.

"I love you." She said to herself \\

'Syaoran, you broke your promise… It's been eight years, and you haven't even called of written me a letter! Not once!' Sakura thought to herself, during a math lesson. 'That's it! I give up! Stuff him!! Why should I wait for someone who's probably forgotten all about me by now?' Holding back the tears, she replied a note to Tomoyo, which said exactly what was on her mind, and carried on with her algebra.

//"You'll come back, won't you Syaoran?" Sakura asked cutely, tears shining in her eyes.

"Yeah, maybe someday I will!" Answered Syaoran. Looking at the desk in front of him.

"I can't wait!" Sakura exclaimed happily causing Syaoran to blush madly \\

//"Syaoran! I've realised! You're my number one!" Sakura screamed as she let go of the bear into Syaoran's hands.

"Wait for me! I'll return!" He called back, as the bus picked up speed and Sakura couldn't keep up anymore.

"I love you." He said to himself \\

Sakura was on his mind. Like always. He was in a Martial Arts practice, and Wei noticed that he hadn't been training properly for the past week or so. He knew exactly what it was about.

"Go and see your mother. You need to sort this problem out." Wei said, exasperated.

"What problem? I don't have a problem…….!" Syaoran replied indignantly.

"Sakura. You need her. I'll tell your mother you're coming."

"Pfft! Sakura?" Syaoran lied huffily. "How do you know it's her?" he asked

"I can tell, Master." Wei answered. "Go on, go."

A young man with ruffled brown hair and amber eyes walked down the corridor towards his mother's room. "Come in." A voice from inside said, before he had even knocked.

"Syaoran…. I know how you feel for this Sakura. Go to Japan, win her heart. You must be married to be leader of the clan anyway." Yelan Li said briskly; it was not a request, it was an order.

"Mother, I cannot thank you enough." He bent down and kissed her hand. "I shall leave first thing in the morning!"

End of Prologue 

It's just my prologue, so There'll be more to come!!! Please R R!!!

BlackLabrador


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One 

Sakura sat on her bed, stroking Kero. "What do _you_ think I should do, Kero? Should I forget about him? He hasn't called or replied to my letters for eight years!" She said, the tears shining in her eyes.

"It's your life; personally I think you should at least take a look at the local talent, but I don't think you should close your heart to China-boy. It's your decision!" Kero replied, for once helping her with her love life.

"Sakura! Hurry up or you'll be late!!" Toya's voice shouted up the stairs.

"I'm coming!" Sakura yelled back, and got off her bed (She was already dressed and such) and ran downstairs. Her breakfast was on the table; she wolfed it down and ran out of the door, giving her father and brother kisses on the cheeks. "I'll be back at six, I have cheerleading!"

Sakura skated fast down the alley to her school - she was late, again! God, Days like this were such a drag. She couldn't wait until the weekend, where she was going for a picnic with Tomoyo and a couple of people Tomoyo said she was bringing along.

She skidded round the corner to the school, the gates were about to close so she slid through them, slammed her skates into the locker, and sprinted to her home-room.

A cheer went up when she opened the door, gasping to catch her breath (she HAD had to run up 5 flights of stairs!!) Tomoyo came up to her and patted her on the back.

"Just in time, Sakura-chan!" She giggled, as Terada-sensei stood behind her and ticked her name off.

"Phew… Kero overslept, so I slept in even longer!!" she whispered, so that no one would hear. The place behind her, Syaoran's place, remained empty. The feeling that she got every single morning descended upon her again. A sinking, terrible longing, starting in her throat and ending up as a twisting, wobbling weight in her stomach. Tears stung her eyes as usual, but none slipped out. Sakura was far past crying in public.

Sakura sat at her desk. Even though the classroom and classmates had changed, Sakura always sat at the same desk, and her classmates knew to leave the seat behind her clear, even though many had no idea why. One who did, however, was Tomoyo. Tomoyo was the daughter of the president of a toy and clothes company, and although she was the least spoilt rich-kid ever, there was an air of sheltered-ness about her. Tomoyo had been best friends with Sakura ever since they were infants, because their mothers were cousins, making them second cousins.

Tomoyo had a small obsession with Sakura, who found it father embarrassing to say the least. There was hardly a moment when Tomoyo didn't have her video camera out to take pictures of her doing boring things (which of course, were very interesting to Tomoyo). The lavender-eyed, dark-purple-haired girl was also Sakura's confidante, and knew all of her intimate secrets. The biggest of which was her magical powers and her Sakura cards.

"Sakura-chan… please don't sit there and mope about the past, I see you do it every morning." Tomoyo pleaded, "Just let it go! Stop wearing your blinkers and see just who else is out there, maybe Syaoran's never coming back, as much as I hate the thought, for your sake."

Sakura nodded, Tomoyo was right, after all. Sakura had had no contact whatsoever from Syaoran since he left all those eight years ago, and every day she checked her mail at night in the hope that she'd have a letter, an email or even a message on the phone. It wasn't as if he didn't have her phone number, after all!

Sigh . Several people turned when Sakura let it go, and the boy from across the classroom widened his eyes with concern. Michiya had been watching her for years now. He had been her classmate ever since junior high, but she never noticed him. She never noticed any guy who took an interest, so much so that most guys in the school had given up on her now, calling her a prude, but really just annoyed that she never chose them.

Michiya looked down at his desk. This, like all the desks before it, was covered in M.C-4-S.K – Michiya Chinen for Sakura Kinomoto. He sighed himself, inwardly, still hoping that one day she would notice him. He wasn't one of those awful, geeky guys who often tried to hang out with her, like Yamazaki, he was star of the school soccer team, a real looker, and had many girls chasing him. But Sakura was the angel of the cheerleaders, and surely it was only fitting for her to be with the star player, it was right, and she would know one day. It would never be too late.

Quite short I know, but it'll come along! Don't you worry!

Ja ne!

B-L x


	3. Chapter 2

Wow!! Thank you all so much for all the reviews already, I really wasn't expecting them!! You have made me try harder to make this chapter long.

N.B: I live in ENGLAND, where soccer is called by its proper name…. FOOTBALL:p Therefore, "football" soccer, NOT American football (which is basically just rugby with pads and incomprehensible rules…. But enough about that…)

Oh, and I'm not going to bother with honorifics, really, it just makes it too complex because I'll probably just get it all wrong…

Chapter Two

When Sakura got to cheerleading that afternoon, she was exhausted. Going over everything in her mind about Syaoran, and how lonely she felt, she was at the end of a day of emotional rollercoaster. One minute, she was missing him like crazy, the next she was cursing his existence and angry with him for making her feel like that. Needless to say, she wasn't looking forward to cheering today.

"Sakura, what cheer are we going to do today?" Aya asked. Aya was her vice-captain, a great cheerleader and a stunning girl. Sakura counted her as one of her friends, and they enjoyed spending time together. However, Aya and Sakura were totally different characters. Aya's favourite hobby after cheerleading was… chasing boys. And she had her eye on Michiya Chinen…

"Oh, hey Aya," Sakura replied wearily.

"I think we need something new." Aya suggested. "There's that big football match coming up, and we've already shown all of our material. We should commemorate the biggest match of the season!" By the tone of her voice, you could tell that Aya was excited about it, but Sakura just couldn't get into it today.

"Oh… Yeah that sounds great. How about you all start something, and show me tomorrow, I'm really not feeling well today. Do you mind taking control for the day? I know you'll be just fine." Sakura put her hand to her forehead, she thought she felt hot and she could feel a headache coming on.

"Ok Sakura! Feel better!" Aya gave Sakura a quick hug and rushed off to join the other, expectant cheerleaders.

On her way back home, Sakura decided not to use her roller blades, but to walk and enjoy the warm evening. She came across Penguin Park, and immersed in her thoughts, entered and sat on a swing. A memory came unbidden to her, of when she sat on this very swing and cried on Syaoran's shoulder because Yukito rejected her. She remembered his patience with her, and she thought how much it must have hurt him to be in love with her, but she was crying to him about someone else.

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Syaoran's plane landed that afternoon, while Sakura had been discussing cheerleading with Aya. For the whole plane journey, he thought of Sakura. He had only his mental images of her now; as he had been too stupid to take a photo of her while they had the chance. While he drove to his apartment (he can drive), he glanced out of his window and saw Penguin Park. He saw that swing set which, unbeknownst to him would have Sakura sat on it later, and the same memory filled his head – the one with Sakura crying about Yukito.

He had to pull over. As he stepped out of his car a gust of wind blew some cherry blossom petals across his path, and he was again reminded of her. The scent was the one that she used to use as her signature perfume, that light, floral fragrance. Just the trace of it brought back his love for her. He perched on the bonnet of his car, enjoying the scenery.

After a while, he heard footsteps in the park. Thinking that he would look weird sitting on his car bonnet, he got in. He checked his map to see where his new apartment was, and drove off. Just as a beautiful brunette went and sat on the swing set.

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I know, I'm mean to leave that as a cliffhanger like that… Next chapter by the weekend… I promise!

B-L


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of CCS… obviously CLAMP does.

Chapter 3

Sakura sat on that swing and reminisced about Syaoran for well over an hour. In her head she ploughed through all of her memories, as she had done thousands of times before, but this time it was different. Today, she was thinking about how, after all of the happy memories they shared, and the way they fell in love, Syaoran could just forget about her as soon as she left the country. It almost broke her heart to think badly of him, because she had spent the last several years of her life thinking about him, hoping that he would call. Checking her voicemail had become a ritual, her heart skipping when she got a voicemail, but always the international calls were from Eriol, who had moved back to England. Never Syaoran.

Sakura allowed herself to sit and be absorbed in thought until it started to get dark. But as it was spring, as soon as the sun began to set there was a chill in the air. Sakura shivered and got up to leave the park when someone stopped and looked at her. It was Michiya.

"Michiya!" Sakura greeted him pleasantly.

"Sakura." Michiya smiled at her, surprised to see her out at this time alone. "Why aren't you with Tomoyo or someone? You shouldn't be in the park alone at this time!" The affection he felt for her was expressed in his tone, and Sakura felt the warmth of his heart via her strong aura. Suddenly she welled up, and she couldn't see for tears. "Sakura!" Michiya stepped closer as Sakura gasped out a sob – she couldn't stop the tears. He reached out to her for the first time in their friendship, and drew her into an embrace. Sakura, with thoughts of Syaoran, returned the movement, and with her palms to his back hugged him and cried out all of her bitter tears about her lost love, and wasted years. "Shh… Sakura… What's the matter?"

But Sakura couldn't speak for emotion. She started to regret all of the opportunities she wasted while she pined for a boy who apparently didn't care for her, and hugged Michiya tighter, happy that she had him as a shoulder to cry on. After some minutes, the tide ebbed, and Sakura managed to speak. "Michiya, did I ever tell you why I never accepted any of the boys in our school?"

"No, you didn't." Michiya felt a pang of sadness, for he was one of the many rejects. But he was intrigued, as the way to Sakura's heart was possibly the school's biggest mystery. Most of the people from Sakura's elementary school had moved away, so there were few people to ask about her apparent decision to not have a relationship, as it was obvious it was from before middle school.

"When I was in elementary school, there was a boy, an exchange student from Hong Kong. We were young, but we fell in love." Sakura couldn't bring herself to say his name. "He had to leave, though, and he said that he'd come back to see me or even to stay, but he never did. He never contacted me after he left, but I still think about him every day." Fresh tears ran down her already sodden cheeks.

Michiya didn't know what to say. That Sakura was in love was a surprise, but that someone had won her love, and then abandoned her, breaking her heart, was unbearable. "Sakura…" Michiya didn't actually know what he was going to say. Sakura looked so vulnerable and sad, he almost felt his heart breaking. Pulling out of their still-tight embrace, he looked at her face. Despite being stained by mascara and make-up, hers was the most beautiful face he had ever seen. But even in her most vulnerable state, he sensed that he shouldn't cross the line. Sakura opened her heart to a trusted friend, and explained a huge mystery; he shouldn't take advantage of her. But her lips looked to supple…

Michiya leaned in to kiss Sakura.

Sakura looked up into Michiya's eyes, and in this light, they looked like Syaoran's, only darker. They were very close.

He couldn't do it. Every cell in his body was urging him to kiss her, but a tiny, single brain cell took charge and said no. He changed his direction, and kissed her on the cheek. When he pulled away, he tasted her salty tears on his lips.

Sakura was surprised, but happy. For a moment, she had wanted to kiss Michiya. But something changed in his eyes when he got closer. She lifted her hand to her damp cheek and touched the place where she could still feel his kiss. She blushed, and it made Michiya's heart soar with happiness, as he knew he had done the right thing.

Sakura smiled, and her aura grew bright pink around her (but not that he would see it anyway).

But not so far away, she could feel an unfamiliar aura, but one that she felt she recognised.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Syaoran finished unpacking his suitcase and looked out of the window. It was getting dark, he noticed. He went to have a shower. He took his clothes off in the bathroom and folded them neatly on a chair. He glanced in the mirror as he reached for his wash things, and noticed that he had grown a lot since he last looked in the mirror. As he was always training in Hong Kong, and there were few mirrors in his house, he was surprised, but not unpleasantly so.

His chest was well defined, with a few hairs starting to grow. Further down he realised that he had a faint six-pack on his stomach. It wasn't too muscular, and he liked it. He turned around and saw that his back was muscular, and his shoulders were well structured. Looking more closely at his face he noticed that his jaw line was strong, and his rounded features had matured into a handsome, striking face.

His eyes had not changed at all, however. They were still light brown, even amber in some lights. He liked them, but he didn't realise that they were sad eyes. Taking a last glance and noticing his new height of about 6'3", he entered the shower.

About 20 minutes later, he re-entered his bedroom and sat down on his bed. He was wrapped in a towel and was rubbing a small one on his hair to try and dry it. He felt very relaxed. Syaoran got into his pyjama bottoms, and abandoning the idea of wearing a t-shirt, he got into bed. As he lay there, he thought about Sakura again, and felt happy that soon, they would be reunited.

As he fell asleep, he instinctively let his aura expand, and his soft green one enveloped him and, wrapped in it, he fell into a deep sleep, but not before he registered the aura that he had been waiting to sense for years – Sakura's sensitive pink aura.

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Please R R!!

Love B-L x


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Syaoran didn't sleep very well that night. Even though he was tired from travelling to Japan, and he had had a relaxing shower before bed, the content feeling he had when he fell asleep vanished in a haze of fairly unpleasant dreams. They weren't the worst that Syaoran had ever had by any stretch, but hearing Sakura say, "It's too late", over and over was a nightmare in itself.

Syaoran got up and, after a quick shower, got dressed. He grabbed his coat and keys and left his apartment, because he realised that he didn't actually have any food in the house. He went to the supermarket and stocked up, and on his way back he saw a nice little breakfast café open. He parked up and went in to have something to eat.

Sitting down at a small table in the corner, he ordered some breakfast. He scanned the room as he waited for it, and he didn't see a single face that he knew. Syaoran felt disappointed, and realised just how much the area had changed with regards to people.

It occurred to Syaoran that he needed a plan. It hit him like a ton of bricks that Sakura might not even remember him. He hadn't been able to write to her, or call her, because he was undergoing strict mental and physical training within the Li clan, but he had not gone a single day without thinking about her.

He had broken off his engagement with Meiling as soon as humanly possible, but his mother was not convinced that his love for Sakura would survive. That she had even sent him here was a shock, a chance that he couldn't afford to miss. But there was a huge problem – Syaoran had no idea if she still lived where she used to, what school she went to, or even if she was still in Tomoeda at all!

Finishing his breakfast, he returned to his apartment and unpacked the shopping. 'Gah! Why didn't I bring Wei with me? I could have made him do this while I was out doing what I'm here for!' He sat on his new sofa. 'What am I going to do…?' He flicked on the T.V. and saw some news reporting on the entertainment district of Tomoeda. The footage was from a few days before, and before he decided to change the channel, he saw Sakura.

It was unmistakeable. She still wore her hair in a similar fashion, but instead of the red hair ties she used to use, she had some pieces of what looked like green material. And to top it off, she was gorgeous. The cute young girl he had fallen in love with had blossomed, and it made him that much more determined to win her back.

That answered one of his problems – she was still in the area. Now what he needed to do was find out what school the uniform she was wearing belonged to… and transfer there.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sakura was at cheerleading that afternoon. She felt in a better mood than the day before, and so could face the exercise. Aya had done much in her absence, and had even started a new routine with the squad.

"And… lift! Down! Spin! And… finish! Well done everyone, you did so well today!" Aya praised the squad as if it was her own. "What do you think, Sakura?"

Sakura grinned, suddenly knowing that Aya was far more passionate about cheering than her. "I thought it was great! I should leave you in charge more often, shouldn't I!"

Aya blushed from the compliment. "So do you think that we could do it for the upcoming football match? It is the match of the season…"

"Yes, of course!" Sakura smiled at her friend. She then noticed that Aya's face had reddened further, and turned around. Michiya was standing there watching them. Well, he was watching Sakura in any case. She beckoned him over to them. "Michiya, what are you doing here?" Sakura asked, not unfriendly.

"Er… I was actually wondering if I could take you out for a coffee or something after your training, if you're not doing anything better!" It was his turn to blush.

Aya's face fell. She had been watching Michiya pursue Sakura for months, and knew that she didn't like him, but somehow today was different. Had something happened that Sakura hadn't mentioned?

"Oh, sure Michiya that sounds nice! But it'll have to be quick, I'm cooking tonight." Sakura answered hesitantly, unsure as to why she was accepting his invitation. Maybe it was better this way, trying to forget about Syaoran now.

"Okay, well I'll meet you right after your cheerleading at the gates. See you then!" Michiya smiled happily and went back into the school building.

Sakura turned back to Aya. "What was that?! I thought you didn't like Michiya like that." Aya accused, feeling her face grow hot.

"Oh we're just friends Aya, you know that. I was having a bad time last night and he was a shoulder to cry on, I figured that the least I could do to say thanks was go and have coffee with him!"

Sakura brushed it off, but Aya wasn't convinced. She had confided in Sakura her feelings for Michiya, and even though Aya knew in her heart that Sakura was sincere, she couldn't help feeling jealous and slightly betrayed.

"It's just coffee." Sakura repeated.

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Syaoran returned to his apartment for the second time that day, again with purchases. This time, however, it was a school uniform, a brand new one for Tomoeda district High School. He knew that he would only be there for the rest of the year, but money was no object in his family, and, Syaoran thought spitefully, his family had kept him in Hong Kong for enough time, he wanted to make them pay for cooping him up and not allowing him to contact Sakura. He had filled in all of the registration forms, and would be starting at the school in the morning. Syaoran thought that he had never been so excited.

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Please R R!! I've really enjoyed reading all of them so far!

Ooo… They're going to meet soon!

B-L x


	6. Chapter 5

Hello! B-L again! I've been writing this chapter for the longest time, and I think it's one of my favourites so far. I can't wait to continue this story 'cos I like where it's going!!

Thank you for all the great reviews! Sorry it's been a few months since I updated. Anyway... Here goes! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS, obviously. (but I do own Aya and Michiya)

Chapter 5

Sakura was in the girl's bathroom, tidying her hair and re-doing her makeup after cheerleading to go and have coffee with Michiya. "It's just coffee," she said to her self for what seemed the hundredth time that afternoon.

Aya walked in. She had been very distant and cold in the practice after Michiya asked her out, and it was obvious why. But Sakura didn't want to explain herself to Aya any more than she already had, so she smiled at her and left the bathroom to find Michiya standing in the entrance hall of the school.

"Hi!" He smiled at her, "Let's go find somewhere for a coffee then, eh?"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sakura and Michiya stayed in the coffee shop for over 2 hours, chatting and laughing together, and Sakura found herself thinking that she hadn't had this much fun with a guy for God-knows how long. She hadn't expected the two of them to get along quite so well, and they had loads in common.

Michiya, on the other hand, couldn't believe his luck. Here he was, making the most desired girl in the school laugh and choke on her coffee! But, all good things must come to an end, so he paid the bill (paying for Sakura's coffee too…) and they left.

While Michiya was walking Sakura back to her house, he realised that out of all of the girls he had gone out with, Sakura was by far the easiest to talk to, and the best thing was that she seemed to enjoy talking to him, too! Sakura's house came around the corner far too quickly.

"Thanks for taking me out for coffee, Michiya! I really enjoyed spending time with you." Sakura told him with a smile.

"Well, maybe we should do it again some time!" Michiya replied happily.

"Maybe we should."

Sakura hugged him and turned to go inside. "Sakura-" Michiya took her arm and turned her back around to him, and kissed her on the cheek before going home himself.

She stood there for a long minute holding her cheek, then went inside.

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Syaoran dressed very carefully, making sure that he looked good in his uniform, because, after all, he was trying to win Sakura back. Yep, he looked hot. He knew that he was good looking, but in his mind all that mattered was that Sakura thought so. The other girls could look if they liked, but he was all Sakura's.

He left the apartment and locked up. He slung his new bag over his shoulder and got in his car. He wasn't sure if it would be allowed at school but if he was going to get attention he may as well make an entrance while he was at it.

Sakura was doing her hair in her bedroom. She picked up the green material she used to tie her hair up, remembering the time she got injured and Syaoran ripped his outfit to bandage her wound. This material was what was now in her hair.

'One more time,' she thought. She would give herself this last day to think about him. After that, who knew? Michiya obviously liked her, along with half of the male population of the school, but without her Syaoran tunnel vision, who knew whom she would find?

She left her bedroom and grabbed an apple, greeting her father and brother with a kiss on the cheek. Straight out the door with her rollerblades she came across Michiya.

"Want an escort to school?" He asked sweetly, holding out his arm.

"Well now that you're here, why not?" Sakura knew that she was flirting with him a little, but heck, why not.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Syaoran rolled up to school in his car and parked in the car park. "VISITORS ONLY", said the sign. 'I guess that's what I'll be if this plan goes to pot, right?' Syaoran thought to himself. He still had no idea what he was going to say or do when he saw Sakura. He had been looking forward to this day ever since he left all those years ago, but now it came to it he could hardly think.

He rounded the corner into the courtyard and there she was. She was as beautiful as he had seen on the news. Not expecting to see her so immediately, he made some sort of strange strangled noise in his throat.

"Oh my gosh are you ok?" A girl's voice inquired. Syaoran looked up and saw a very pretty girl looking concerned at him.

"No, I'm fine thanks, just got something in my throat." Syaoran lied.

"The name's Aya. I'm guessing you're a new student? I hope we're in the same class, you're a cutie!"

Syaoran was shocked by her forwardness, no girl in China had ever spoken to him in that way, but that was probably because everyone knew who he was and how powerful his family was. He looked around and Sakura had gone. He felt his heart drop when he realised that she had been walking with a guy. How could he have been so stupid, leaving her for so many years? And he felt stupid again for thinking that she would ever remember him, or that he was so important to her that she wouldn't date other guys.

Aya saw his mood change. "Want me to take you to the admissions office? They'll put you in a class. Come on!" She grabbed his arm and dragged him into the school building.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sakura sat at her desk trying to focus on listening to the register. She was thinking about Michiya, and how even though he was so sweet she wasn't sure if she was considering him because she wanted a way to get over Syaoran or just because she liked him.

Terada-sensei paused in the register as Aya walked in, gave him a note and took her seat. She deliberately avoided Sakura's eye. 'Bitter 'cos I went for coffee with Michiya,' Sakura thought bitterly. She hated upsetting her friends.

"Class, apparently today we have a new student, I hope you will all make him welcome!" Terada-sensei paused and went to the door to let the new student in.

Sakura got butterflies. Every time they had a new student she tensed, hoping and praying that it would be Him, and getting so disappointed when it wasn't. Despite her tries to get over Syaoran, she couldn't help hoping once again that it was him.

Sakura was on the verge of tears when Terada opened the door, beckoned the student in and returned to his desk. Nervously entering the room was Syaoran. "This is Li Syaoran, a returning student from China. A few of you might remember him. Please make him welcome!"

Sakura's eyes widened, and she realised that all of her friends were looking at her. Her heart beat double-time, and then more when she met his gaze. Even those who didn't know the history now knew there was something going on. Syaoran stood there at the front of the class and took a deep breath.

"It's nice to see many of you again, and to those I have yet to meet, I look forward to the opportunity." He bowed his head slightly and walked to the back of the class, his old seat behind Sakura, and paused at her desk. She looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car she was so shocked. He dropped a note on her desk and took his seat.

**"Sakura, I came to this school not to study but to see you. Please forgive me for not contacting you. Meet me under the cherry blossom tree at lunch and we'll talk."**

Tomoyo looked round at Syaoran and smiled at him, showing that she was happy to see him, but he was looking only at Sakura as though starstruck. Others looked round at him too.

Aya looked over at Sakura. There was some history there, she could sense it. Li was clearly trying to get her attention but she was stunned by his appearance. It wasn't fair! Who was she to take away Michiya and still have this amazingly hot guy fall in love with her too? 'I'll maker her pay,' Aya thought bitterly.

Michiya felt a rage bubbling up inside him. Who was this Li guy? What right did he have to fawn all over his Sakura? Terada said he was returning. Maybe he was the guy that rejected Sakura. 'I'll make him pay,' Michiya thought, clenching his teeth and his fists alike.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Well, what do you think?  
I'm really happy with it. But comments and reviews are always appreciated!

More coming ASAP!

Ja ne! B-L x


	7. Chapter 6

Hello! Sorry it's been a while, it's exam season...

Thank you all so much for the reviews! Please check out my other stories if you like this one!

**Chapter 6**

Sakura was in shock for the first 30 minutes of the lesson. Then, when Terada-sensei's back was turned, she slowly turned around and looked at Syaoran. She half didn't believe that he was there. But he was, and he was looking right back at her. She tried to smile but her face felt paralysed. After about half a minute, she whispered, "I'll be there," to him. He smiled, and his eyes seemed to light up. Sakura's heart started to race, and she could barely hear their teacher because of the din in her ears.

"You won't regret it," Syaoran whispered back. Sakura thought how amazing he looked. His eyes were still a gorgeous shade of amber, and his hair was still messy despite his obvious attempts to flatten it.

He looked back towards the front of the classroom and Sakura followed suit, to find Terada-sensei and the rest of the class staring at them. "Something you want to share with us, you two?" He smirked, knowing exactly how they felt towards each other (having been told by Rika).

"Er – no sir!" Sakura blushed right up to her ears, and glanced at Michiya. He stared back, looking confused. Or, was it hurt she saw in his face? Suddenly Sakura felt bad. She realised that over the last few days she had become closer to Michiya, and the way she was acting now to Syaoran would be giving him mixed signals. He mouthed over at her.

_What's going on?_

_I'll speak to you later,_ Sakura mouthed back.

_Meet me at lunch? I made you something to eat!_

Before she could reply to say no, he turned away and began to concentrate again on the class. Sakura's head was reeling. What should she do? If she went to meet Syaoran, everything could be alright, and if he stayed, they could be together. But if she didn't meet Michiya he would get upset, and their friendship would probably dissolve again, back to just classmates. And furthermore, Aya would be really angry that she stood Michiya up. Aya was already angry at Sakura for going out for coffee with Michiya.

She scribbled a note to Michiya.

Syaoran had been watching Sakura for the whole class, going over in his head whether he had done the right thing. He realised that he had assumed a lot about Sakura's feelings. He felt so stupid. Why would she hold out for him, when he hadn't even been able to reply to any of her letters because of his training? She would obviously think that he was just indifferent to her, not still madly in love with her like he still was.

Then she turned around. Her hair was a little longer then he remembered, and her face had matured into the most beautiful face he had seen. Her eyes were laced with hurt and accusation, but they were still the most beautiful things about her. He thought how he could just look into them for hours. She whispered to him that she would meet him at lunch, as a reply to his note. He thought that he would burst with excitement.

He noticed Terada looking at them and looked away from Sakura. After their embarrassing exchange during which everyone would know that something was up, he looked around the rest of the class. The best looking boy in the room was looking at Sakura, trying to catch her eye. When he did, he mouthed something about lunch. Syaoran couldn't see what Sakura replied. He looked back at the boy. His expression was clear as daylight; Syaoran could tell that the boy was in love with Sakura.

He felt distinctly angry about it.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Lunch took an age to come around. Michiya sat at his desk pretending to concentrate on the lesson. He tried so hard not to look at Sakura, as he didn't want to give her an opportunity to reject him for lunch. He replayed Li's entrance in his mind. Sakura was blushing, her friends looked at her and that new kid only had eyes for Sakura. _'Today couldn't have started any worse…'_ Michiya thought to himself.

When the bell rang he took a deep breath and looked around to Sakura's desk. She was gone, and so was Li. He walked over to it and noticed a piece of paper. Reading it, he realised that he was selfish to not wait for Sakura's answer to his lunch invitation, but at least now he knew where they were.

XxX

Sakura followed Syaoran down the hall and out into the grounds of the school. Her heart was racing; she just wanted to grab him and let him pull her into his arms for a tight embrace, remembering all their feelings… But there was something big holding her back. Sakura thought that it was her feelings of betrayal towards Syaoran, for abandoning her, never contacting her or replying to her letters. It took Sakura a moment to realise that she was actually being held back, not by her feelings but by a pair of strong arms.

"Hey-mmph!" A hand clamped over her mouth, but Syaoran still heard. He spun around and saw that boy from the classroom holding Sakura.

"Let go of her!" Syaoran commanded.

"My name is Chinen Michiya. Just who do you think you are? I've gathered enough now to know that you're the one who broke Sakura's heart. What the fuck do you want with her now? Do you think you can just pitch up when you feel like it? I've known Sakura through all of high school, and not once has she been with a boy, and now I know you're the reason. I bet you weren't thinking of her at all! Why turn up now when she was finally trying to get over you! You selfish bastard!" Michiya was shouting.

Syaoran was momentarily stunned at his outburst.

Sakura was crying behind his hand. Michiya let go of her body and held her face in his hands, turning it towards his own. "Sakura… I'm in love with you, and I would never leave you!"

Sakura couldn't speak, she couldn't think, she was so confused in her mind about what she should do. Even though Michiya didn't know everything, what he had said was fundamentally true. She opened her eyes. Michiya's face was very close to her own…

She felt his hands being ripped off her face, and watched as Michiya was thrown backwards at the wall.

"I've let you have your say, Chinen," Sakura heard Syaoran start, "but you don't know anything about me. I am Li Syaoran, heir of the Li clan. I returned to China eight years ago to fulfil my duties, and was told to forget about Sakura. I received countless letters…" he turned to Sakura, "I wasn't allowed to make contact with you in any way, Sakura, and it broke my heart too, being apart from you. I never forgot about you. And whatever people like him," Syaoran pointed at Michiya, "may assume despite knowing **nothing**, you have always been the only one for me, my Sakura, and I have always been your Syaoran." He took her hand. "I have loved you all along."

A collective sigh was released from all the girls in the crowd that had gathered around them. Many of the boys looked irritated at the display, mostly because they wanted Sakura themselves.

Aya burst through the wall of people. "Michiya!" She knelt by his side. "Are you hurt?" She tried to take his hand, but he shrugged her off.

"Get off, Aya." He ignored her upset face and stood up to face Syaoran again. "I'll never let you have Sakura."

Syaoran took Sakura's arm and started to lead her away. "Come on, let's go somewhere more private to finish this."

But Sakura stopped. "I… I need to be alone!" Fresh tears were cascading down her cheeks. She took her arm from Syaoran's and ran away.

"Ah… Shit…" Syaoran whispered.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Thanks for reading! Please R+R!

B-L x


	8. Chapter 7

Lol… It's Tomoyo's turn to have a go! I like it when she gets assertive, don't you?

Chapter 7

Sakura found herself at home before she knew it. She wondered how she got there without realising it, but then again, she was in such a daze it was hardly surprising.

"…_You have always been the only one for me, my Sakura, and I have always been your Syaoran." He took her hand. "I have loved you all along."_

Syaoran's words played over and over in Sakura's mind. _'Syaoran… why now? Why not before?? I was trying to get over you!'_ Sakura drifted through the house, still lost in her thoughts.

"Baka Syaoran!" Sakura started crying again as she reached her bedroom, and threw herself, face down, onto the bed.

"Kid… What's the matter?" Kero flew over to be by her side, abandoning his video game and his secret piece of cake, which he had hoped to finish before Sakura got home.

"What are you doing home so early? Don't you feel well? Come on, tell Kero-chan…" Kero stroked her hair back from her face and saw her streaked mascara and her red, puffy eyes. "What happened, kid?"

Sakura hoisted herself up onto her elbows. "I… Syaoran…" she started hesitantly. Sakura had complained and cried to Kero about Syaoran countless times over the past eight years.

"Syaoran… what?" Kero tried to coax the words out.

Sakura flopped back down onto the bed, burying her face in her pillow. "He came back…" she said, her voice muffled.

"I thought you were trying to get over him, what about that Michi-… WHAT?! HE CAME BACK??" Kero sprang back from Sakura in shock. "What happened??"

The 18-year-old rolled over onto her back. "He showed up at school today… He had a fight with Michiya over me… He said he still loves me, Kero…" She explained the whole story, from when he showed up in the classroom up to the argument with Michiya.

Kero changed into his true form, and stepped up onto the bed. Sakura sat up and looked at him questioningly. "All the better to hug you with, Kiddo…" His huge wings encircled her, and Sakura put her arms around his soft, furry neck. New sobs shook her body as she clung onto her main source of comfort of the last few years.

XxXxXxXxX

Syaoran started to follow Sakura out of the school gates, but felt a touch on his arm. It was Tomoyo.

"Leave her be for now, ok? I think she's had a bit of a shock to the system." Tomoyo smiled her all-knowing smile.

"But… I can't just let her go! I want to see her, hold her, kiss her, Tomoyo! I've waited for eight years to see her again! She's all I've thought about!" He struggled against her surprisingly strong grip.

"Don't." She said, more seriously. "Let her come to you, Syaoran." She looked around at the still-lingering crowd, hoping to see more action. "Let's go somewhere I can explain what's gone on, ok? Everything's happening all at once, you see."

Confused, Syaoran let Tomoyo lead him to the cherry blossom tree where he had planned to have lunch with Sakura.

"Now, don't say a word. Just listen. Sakura would never tell you what I am about to for fear of making you feel bad. I have no such qualms, because my loyalty has always lain with Sakura." Her lavender eyes were piercing, but twinkling at the same time, as though she was enjoying herself immensely.

"O..Okay, I guess I don't have a choice even if I did have a problem…" He tried to joke, with few results.

"Right." Tomoyo took a deep breath. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" She grabbed his shoulders and shook him a little. "You broke my best friend's heart by abandoning her. She waited eight years, she never gave up on you, I saw her write millions of letters, and she spent an age trying to get a hold of your number only to be told you were unreachable. It was as though you disappeared off the face of the earth! If you had sent _one_ letter, just one, you could have stopped her heart from being broken. And it's your fault that it is! I'm sure you could have snuck out of the house, written her a quick note… Anything would have done for someone has desperate as Sakura. Do you know how many amazing guys she's turned down for you? Do you?"

"I -" Syaoran tried to butt in.

"Of course you wouldn't know. That would involve caring! It has only been one week since Sakura told me she was going to try to get over you. She honestly thought that you had forgotten about her. But, I haven't seen her so happy for years! She was getting close to Michiya, who has been in love with her ever since he laid eyes on her. What do you think you were going to do? Waltz back here and take her back as though nothing had changed? You are so selfish. Now Sakura has to make a choice. Does she hurt Michiya, who she may have given false hope to? Or does she take back the boy who broke her heart with no explanation? You better have a damn good reason for coming back, because if you hurt her again I swear with all the power I have I will make sure you never hurt anyone ever again!!"

Tomoyo stopped, her cheeks flushed from her outburst. She drew a long breath, trying to get air back in her lungs.

Syaoran didn't speak. What could he possibly say that would make Tomoyo believe his feelings for Sakura weren't just something he switched on?

"Well?" She demanded.

"I don't know what to say, Tomoyo. What do you want me to say? You're just going to say "But you should've done this, you should've said that", aren't you? You don't understand how hard my training was there! It was exhausting, day in, day out. Knowing that one day it would be over, and I could see Sakura again was the only thing that made it worth while! I tried to sneak out hundreds of times, only to be caught every time, my letter ripped up in front of my eyes, and then I was punished.

"But I do see your point of view. From here I can see that you wouldn't know what I went through. How could you possibly know?

"Tomoyo… You will think I'm a selfish bastard, but I can't tell you how happy I am, how lucky I feel that Sakura didn't find someone else. Surely you can see how strongly I feel for her? I know it's selfish, I assumed a lot, but all I wanted was to get her back. That's why I'm here… My mother realised that I couldn't carry on without Sakura. I'm going to ask her to marry me, Tomoyo." Syaoran ended his explanation by digging in his bag. He pulled out a ring box in the shape of a cherry blossom, and handed it to Tomoyo.

She opened the box and gasped, their argument forgotten. "Syaoran, it's beautiful…" It was a pink sapphire, guarded either side by diamonds. It must have cost a fortune. Tomoyo gave the box back to Syaoran.

"Look, I'm not happy about your entrance, you could have at least contacted me so we could have arranged something. You gave her too much of a shock. Were you going to ask her this lunchtime to marry you?"

"Yes." His reply was simple.

"Baka Syaoran! How could you expect her to say yes when you're both clinging onto images of each other from eight years ago? Take my advice, Syaoran; just get to know her again before you jump into anything like engagement. She may not have changed that much, but who's to say you're still compatible?" Tomoyo got an evil glint in her eye. "And furthermore… You'll have to wait until I say you can ask her! You won't get past me, Li Syaoran…"

Syaoran sighed with relief. Tomoyo would be a pushover! Or maybe not…

XxXxXxXxXx

Michiya sat on the ground by where he was pushed back by Syaoran. He was in shock that that little twerp could just appear, and ruin everything that was happening. He recalled Sakura's face in class, and when he and Syaoran were fighting. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling. Even though they had been getting to be close friends all week, and sometimes he thought that Sakura wouldn't have minded him kissing her, the way she looked at Syaoran was something else.

Michiya was insanely jealous.

"Michiya… we should go back to class." Aya tugged at his sleeve. She had sat there in silence, being ignored by him ever since the confrontation.

"Go without me, I'm going to skip school. Tell Terada I'm feeling sick or something, ok?" He smiled sweetly at her, knowing how she felt about him.

"H-Hai, I will…" Aya blushed at the attention, and went back to class. As soon as she was out of sight, Michiya left the school grounds.

"Terada-sensei… Michiya said he wasn't feeling well… He's gone home." Aya piped up during attendance. Tomoyo had just done the same for Sakura, and whispers erupted throughout the class.

Tomoyo looked at Syaoran. They could both hear the whispers about Michiya and Sakura, _"Maybe they're together," "I heard they were close, but sneaking off together?" "Is it anything to do with the fight at lunchtime, do you think?"_

The whispers were making Syaoran increasingly angry. Tomoyo continued to watch him, amused but concerned at the same time about what he might do about the situation.

XxXxXxXxX

Please R+R! Thanks to everyone who has done, your reviews make it all the more worthwhile! :-)

Also, if anyone has a CCS story they've written, please email me or PM me! I would love to read it!

B-L


	9. Chapter 8

Hello! Sorry it's been a while since I uploaded... I had some writer's block. But it's ok now I think!! Please read and review, I would be very grateful!

Chapter 8

Sakura woke up in her room. Her eyes were stinging from the crying. They felt puffy. She looked at her clock, it was 2.45. She hadn't been asleep for that long, a half hour at most, after she explained the day to Kero. Now that she thought about it, he was gone. She recalled he went to wait at Tomoyo's house, to get her to come over straight after school.

Rubbing her eyes, she sat up.

Michiya was sitting on the end of her bed.

Sakura blinked, rubbed her eyes and opened them again.

"HOE~!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! How did you get in??" She screeched after seeing that he was still there.

Michiya stood up. He was shaking slightly. "I'm sorry for earlier, Sakura. I know I shouldn't have got involved… But I couldn't help it! I meant what I said… I love you, Sakura!"

Sakura blushed and looked down at her blanket. She looked back at him, meeting an intense stare. "Michiya… It's not – ah!" Sakura started, but couldn't continue. Michiya had sat down next to her and put his arms around her.

"Sakura I don't want him to hurt you! I've loved you for three years! I don't care that you rejected me, but this week I know we were getting closer. Don't tell me you were just messing because I know it wasn't like that!"

Sakura tried to get out of the embrace but she couldn't. He was too strong for her. "Michiya… This week I made the decision to stop waiting for Syaoran. I wasn't just messing with you; I enjoyed the time we spent together. But he came back, Michiya… Don't you get it? I've been wanting that for eight years, it's hard to just forget that…"

Michiya sat back at bit, and put Sakura at arm's length. He looked intensely at her. She couldn't help but return his stare. All of a sudden Sakura was on her back. Michiya was holding her down, sitting on her hips and holding her wrists.

"Michiya! Get off! What are you doing??" Sakura struggled against him but he was still too heavy for her to shift.

"Something I should have done the other night, Sakura." He leant down towards her, and before Sakura knew what was happening, their lips were together. He was kissing her! Sakura's heart raced. It was her first kiss! The kiss she wanted to give to Syaoran…

Sakura closed her eyes, trying to block out what she was feeling. A tear leaked from her eyes into her hair, as she gave up the fruitless struggle against Michiya. She didn't kiss him back.

_Syaoran…_

Michiya stopped kissing her. He saw the girl he loved underneath him, tears falling down her face because of him. For the first time, he had made a girl cry.

"Sakura… I -" Michiya began, releasing her arms and lifting himself off her.

**Slap!**

Sakura sat up quicker than she had ever done before, to give him a slap with all her feeling in it.

"Get out." She said, emotionless.

"But Sakura…" Michiya pleaded.

"Get out. Now." She turned her head away from him, not wanting him to see how much he hurt her. After a minute she heard the door open and close again, and let out a sigh of relief.

XxXxXxXxX

The afternoon lessons seemed to go on for even longer then morning lessons, even though the length of time was shorter.

Syaoran had ripped up half of his new notepad waiting for the bell to ring. He hadn't been allowed to leave after lunch, as he couldn't give a good enough excuse to Terada-sensei for why he should leave. As soon as that bell rang at 3 he was out of the school like a bullet from a gun, racing through the school gates and down the street to Sakura's house. It only took him 5 minutes to run what was usually a 20-minute walk. Just before the corner to her house, he stopped to catch his breath. He leant against the wall and thought about what he was going to say to her.

Possibilities were running through his mind as he heard the front door open. Syaoran stood hidden behind the gate pillar, frozen as he saw Michiya leaving Sakura's. He was running, and looked somewhat distressed. 'Jesus… What happened??' Syaoran panicked and ran inside without stopping Michiya.

He threw open the front door, kicked off his shoes and rushed upstairs. He tried to remember which room was Sakura's. He stopped for a moment, reaching out with his aura. Right!

Sakura's head whipped around as she heard the door fly open, as she thought that it was Michiya back. She let out a sigh of relief at seeing Syaoran, but promptly burst into fresh tears.

"Sakura… Why are you… What did he…" Syaoran had so many questions and he was burning with anger at the thought that Michiya had been here. He didn't push her, though, but sat on the bed next to her and took her in his arms.

After Sakura had calmed down sufficiently, she separated herself from Syaoran. She took a deep breath.

"Syaoran… why did you come back? Why didn't you ever write to me? We were so in love, and you just couldn't make the effort, could you? I am so confused now Syaoran. I can't believe you did this to me! I'm so happy to see you again, but I'm so angry with you! Just so angry! Why did you come back?" Sakura sat and looked at Syaoran, demanding answers with not only her words, but her eyes too. For the first time, Syaoran thought she looked fierce.

Syaoran had a mind blank. He had been told by Tomoyo not to say anything about marrying her, but it was all he could think of. "Er…"

"So it was a whim, then? Why else would you have kept your silence for so many years? Why couldn't you have contacted me? I don't see any logical or rational explanation!" Sakura was bordering hysterical, tears splashing down her cheeks.

Syaoran spoke softly, determined not to raise his voice. "Is that what you really think?"

"Yes!"

"Sakura. Think clearly for one second. What do you want from me?" Syaoran couldn't help but change his line of defence, and turn it around on Sakura.

"What do I -?" Sakura thought for a minute. "Syaoran, I had just given up hope of you coming back. What do you expect me to do? I waited for you, but I thought you didn't love me anymore!"

This enraged Syaoran, even though she was perfectly entitled to think that, and he knew it. He gritted his teeth, biting back his anger. "Sakura. I know why you feel that way. And I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

"Yeah, well you did. Why don't you just go back to Hong Kong and find someone else, because I'm clearly not important enough to you to actually keep in contact with for EIGHT YEARS!!"

Syaoran couldn't take it anymore. "Sakura will you just listen to me?! Don't you remember what I said earlier? I came back for you! You're the only one I could possibly love, that will never change. How can you ask me to go away when all I've done is think about you for the last eight years? Knowing I might see you again kept me going! Don't you get it? It wasn't my choice not to talk to you!"

"Oh yeah I get it. Your family obviously doesn't approve of me, then. Why are you wasting your time? Just get out, Li, just go home." Sakura felt her own words like pins sticking into her heart. Why was she saying such mean things?

Syaoran felt tears itch his eyes. He was fighting two different, but equally powerful emotions – Anger and Sadness.

Anger won. And Syaoran couldn't keep it in.

Standing up, he whirled around and looked intensely at Sakura. "How could you say such things to me?" He took a step towards her position. She edged back, suddenly a little frightened. Quicker than anything she had seen before, he leaned forward and grabbed her wrist. Sakura was too stunned to struggle. She was sitting lengthways on her bed, then found herself pinned to the bed underneath Syaoran in much the same manner as Michiya had done. He was kneeling over her pelvis, pinning both hands above her head.

Through Syaoran's red curtain of anger, he felt the pulse in her wrists quicken, the softness of her skin, and the electricity that ran between them.

He blinked, the red veil gone, but not the anger. Sakura had some tears in her eyes, but she didn't look sad or angry. He expected her to look scared, too, but she didn't. What was she thinking?

Syaoran looked into her eyes. Sakura blushed, despite the situation.

"Syaoran."

"Sakura."

Without thinking, Syaoran closed the space between their faces, and kissed her for the first time. She didn't resist. He moved his lips over hers, relieved to feel her responding. Syaoran felt her relax underneath him, and he released her arms. She immediately wrapped her arms around him, fingers entwined with his hair. He took it as an invitation to deepen the kiss, softly sliding his tongue between her lips, increasing the pressure of the kiss.

He was hungry for her, he had waited eight years for her. She returned the passion, running her fingers through his hair, down his back, along his neck. Syaoran held her as close as he could. He broke the kiss. "Sakura… I will never let you go again."

A noise disturbed them. It was the front door closing. By the heavy footsteps, Sakura could tell that it was Touya. "We should go downstairs…" She looked sad, and apprehensive.

Syaoran took her by the hand and led the way.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Ooh! Syaoran and Touya come face to face in the next chapter! That'll be tense...

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, I'm not 100% happy with it but I'll get my flow back when I write some more!

Ja ne!

B-L x


	10. Chapter 9

Hello Everyone!

It has been SUCH a long time since I wrote anything. Thank you for your patience!

Chapter 9

Sakura and Syaoran went downstairs. Syaoran couldn't stop himself from reaching out and touching her shoulder as they descended. She lightly touched his hand without looking at him.

Touya was in the entrance hall, hanging up his jacket. "Oh, Sakura, I thought you had cheerl... Who's that?" He spotted Syaoran behind Sakura. He looked confused for a moment, then his eyes widened in recognition. "What? Is that that Chinese brat?" Touya swiftly grabbed Sakura and dragged her out of Syaoran's reach. Before, Touya would have pinned him to the wall, but now, they were much the same height and Touya could see that Syaoran was more muscular. He decided to just block the two of them.

Syaoran could tell that Touya wanted to throttle him. "Wait, I can explain, Touya, I'm not..."

"Not what? Not here to break my sister's heart again? As if I believe you. Get out of my house before I call the police for trespassing." Touya was livid, and thrust open the front door much harder than he meant to, and it hit the wall with a loud bang. "Get Out!"

"Touya, please..." begged Sakura.

"No, if you want to see him... Well, you can't." He pushed her towards the kitchen. "Your turn for making dinner tonight, shouldn't you get on with it?" It was only quarter past 3.

"It's alright, Sakura, I'll leave. I'll call you, ok?" Syaoran sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to stick around any longer. He left quietly and closed the door without slamming it.

Touya rounded on Sakura. "Now, would you like to explain to me what is going on here?"

Sakura sighed. "He came back, Touya. I was just sitting in class then he was a new transfer, I didn't know what to do so I came home."

"So you skipped school? Stupid. But that doesn't explain why he was coming down the stairs with you, does it?" Touya pointed up the stairs as if he wasn't making any sense.

"He came over to see if I was alright, he did kind of startle me this morning."

"And what about Michiya? I thought you two were going to start dating or something?" Touya smirked.

Sakura blushed "Who told you about that? I don't know, I am really confused." She looked away, then back with new fire in her eyes. "And furthermore, it's YOUR turn to do dinner, don't lie about it and expect me to go along with it! I'm going out for a bit. If Tomoyo shows up, tell her she knows where to find me."

Sakura quickly picked a coat to wear and slipped some shoes on. She didn't care that she was still in her uniform; she just wanted to get out of the house. She headed straight for the park. It was such an obvious place to find her, Sakura didn't know why she was surprised when Syaoran was there, sitting on her favourite swing.

"Sakura." He said her name with such emotion Sakura couldn't help but quicken her step and fall into his open arms. He smelled slightly different but still like she remembered. They stayed like that, just embracing, not talking, for a few minutes.

They were interrupted when Tomoyo showed up. Kero popped his head out of her bag and then exploded into his true form roaring in Syaoran's face "What are you doing here?"

Tomoyo stood next to him and tapped him on the shoulder. "I explained this to you, Kero, pipe down!"

"I know you did, I'm sorry, I just got so angry when I saw him, I couldn't help myself!" Kero looked sheepish, then spotted Tomoyo's bag in tatters on the floor, contents everywhere. "Oops."

Sakura removed herself from Syaoran's arms, feeling foolish for seemingly forgiving him so soon. She had nothing to say.

Syaoran tried to grab her hand but she let it fall. "Sakura, please..."

"Syaoran, maybe you should let her be for a while," Tomoyo interjected. "I'll talk to her. I guess we'll see you tomorrow in class?" She shooed him away, and he walked slowly, and kept looking back to see if Sakura was looking at him. She wasn't.

"Sakura" Tomoyo whispered. "What do you want to do?"

Sakura just stood there for a minute, not talking. Tears started to roll down her cheeks, silently. "I don't know..." She finally mumbled. "I want him so badly, and he's here for me, but what if he's not the same person and we're just kidding ourselves? What if I just get hurt again?"

Tomoyo sighed. "I don't have an answer for you. Why don't you just see how things pan out over the next few days? Nobody's saying it's going to be easy but why don't you just get to know each other again?"

Sakura nodded, then shook her head. "Michiya..."

"You've only just started paying attention to him, who's to say that he's not all wrong for you?"

"He kissed me." Sakura said quietly. "He came over and I woke up and he was in my room, he pinned me and kissed me... My first kiss."

Tomoyo gasped. "He made you kiss him?"

"I didn't kiss him back. I just wanted him to leave. But then he did, and Syaoran arrived, and he kissed me too, and I couldn't help myself from kissing him back. It felt so right with Syaoran but I felt so bad for rejecting Michiya. Syaoran is the only one who was in my head."

"Well, maybe that's the answer then. You should tell Michiya that you're going to see how it goes with Syaoran, and that he shouldn't wait around." Tomoyo summarised. "Anyway, let's go home. Your brother was pretty worried about you you know!"

"Good idea. I am suddenly really hungry too!" Sakura laughed. She took Tomoyo's hand. Come on, you're coming over for dinner. Want to sleep over?"

Tomoyo disengaged her hand. "I'll tell you what, I'll come over later. I need to grab a few things, like a change of clothes and stuff for tomorrow. Alright?"

"Sounds good. See you in a bit." Sakura smiled and made her way home, with Kero sitting silently on her shoulder.

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Michiya didn't know what had possessed him to kiss Sakura like he did. He was now wandering aimlessly around downtown Tomoeda. He felt like a horrible person, and that he had now ruined his chances. "So stupid." He said to himself.

He found himself outside the school again, where cheerleading practice was in full swing. Aya was coping very well at being Cheer captain in Sakura's absence. She saw him, though, and called a break. "You alright?" She asked when she reached the fence.

Michiya didn't answer, just shrugged. "Were you with Sakura?" Aya asked timidly. She didn't really want to know the answer. What if he had, and something happened?

"I went to see her, yeah." Michiya answered vaguely. "She was pretty upset by the whole thing. I tried to kiss her." He put his face in his hands and sat down by the fence separating him and Aya.

She crouched down next to him and put her fingers through the chain link. "Did she kiss you back?" Aya's heart was racing. _Please, no_

"I don't know. Kind of, but then she started crying, I didn't know what to do with myself." He sighed.

Aya reached towards him and touched his face. It was difficult through the chain link but it was gentle enough for Michiya to look at Aya, and he could see the tenderness there. "I'm sorry Aya, unloading on you like this. I just don't know what to do. I want Sakura to love me so much; I just don't know how to act any more. Before, I didn't have competition and I was just breaking down the barriers. Now, I feel like I've pushed it too far and messed up everything."

Aya felt her heart beating against her chest. She was short of breath she was so angry. How could Sakura do this? She thought that they were friends: Aya had confided in her, Sakura had reassured her that there was nothing from her side at least, but yet the two of them went on a date, they kissed, and Sakura had the nerve to make Michiya feel bad about it?

"Michiya." He looked up and at her. "We need to get even."

He just looked confused and defeated. "Really, she can't make us feel like this!"

Michiya thought '_us?'_ but nodded vaguely, the hurt he felt turned into anger and blame at Syaoran for messing everything up.

"You're right. We need to get him out of the picture." Aya smiled.

"Good good. Look, I'll come round after practice." She winked at him, stood up and jogged back to the cheerleaders, her blood boiling with anger and excitement about what they were going to do.

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Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I hope the next chapter will be up soon, I just hate that I have so much other stuff to be doing :-(

Please R+R!

love B-L


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